At the December 3rd, 2024 Bucyrus City Council meeting, Council voted to temporarily relieve President Kurt Fankhauser of his duties and make Councilperson Myers President Pro-tempore in order to censure both Fankhauser as well as Councilperson At-large Carolyn Shireman. But what is a censure, what does it mean, and what’s the significance of it?
To start with, the legal definition of a censure is explained by American Legal Publishing in Section 4.13 Censure and Removal.
(a) The Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its own members. The Council may censure any member for gross misconduct, or malfeasance in or disqualification for office, or for the conviction while in office, or while being a Councilperson-elect, of a crime involving moral turpitude, or if adjudicated legally incompetent, or for a violation of oath of office, or persistent failure to abide by the rules of Council; provided however, that such censure shall not take place without the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the remaining members of Council.
In layman’s terms, it is a public reprimand from City Council which is tasked with policing itself with respect to misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance in office and abuse of authority.
The significance of a censure is largely subjective as there are technically no legal consequences to being censured. However, a censure could be used in a court of law as proof that a Council member used their position in order to slander or defame another individual and/or abused his/her position of authority. Sanctions from censure could include loss of pay for up to four months, loss of committee chairmanship, loss of committee membership and/or loss of seniority, but sanctions can be different in different counties.
Ordinarily, when a censure motion is made, a “trial” takes place during which the accused may defend him or herself and call witnesses to speak on their behalf. The motion to censure Shireman was made by Councilperson Aaron Sharrock on the basis of, “attacking constituents, contacting people’s places of work under the guise of being City Council but not with the backing of City Council, outbursts within the Council chambers, attacking people in the comments of the Council meeting.” During discussion, Fankhauser claimed the censure a “kangaroo court” and that the only person that needed to be censured was Sharrock, before he was given a point of order by the President Protempore for being disruptive, a move patented by Fankhauser himself. The motion was then passed by a unanimous 6–0 vote with Shireman abstaining.
Councilperson Sharrock’s second motion was to censure Fankhauser for, “actions attacking certain Council members and constituents via [his Youtube page] as of late, [taping] conversations, the clown bags, and trying to get people fired from their jobs.” During discussion Fankhauser repeated his Kangaroo song and dance, claiming this motion was only happening because “people are offended because things have come out on them.” The motion then passed 6–1 with Shireman as the lone dissenter.
Fankhauser was visibly incensed after the motion passed, ordering Council to give his gavel back before Council could vote to do just that. Upon being reinstated as President, Fankhauser attempted to censure Councilperson Sharrock for “her behavior in the council clerks office” citing “bad language.” Shireman made the motion, but as nobody seconded the motion, it ended before it even began.
As of this writing at 6:30pm, Crawford County Now has yet to report on this meeting. *EDIT* At 7:00pm, CCN published a story on the meeting:
CCN reached out to Shireman and Fankhauser for comment. Shireman’s incoherent, jumbled, meandering response is as follows: “What was I censored for? I feel that i was censored by this counsel because I speak the truth. This is another was for this council and “the mob” to shut me up. alert: when i start speaking the truth which is my constitutional right.
What does censor me? well, according my conversation with Gobrecht today, the “sensor” is like a “slap on the wrist”.
So a public spectacle once again was displayed for all to see on live feed.
If, it was noticed during the “SPECTACLE” that Kurt motioned to censor Aaron Sharrock but as usual, Kevin Myers to the rescue and shut down the council president.
You have Mayor Truka who watched it all and said nothing, When does the Mayor step up and try to intervene? This “censor” will never stop me from speaking the truth! Citizens need to get involved, this city is being taken over by a “mob” of haters who show up at every council and committee meetings to keep the hatred going.
I only hope and pray the republican central committee is paying attention. what is happening to this administration and council is beyond anything i have ever seen!
I will not be shut up, i cannot be swayed from the truth, and i have absolutely no problem doing what I was elected to do.
Citizens of Bucyrus need to speak up and take back “your” city. look at who sets on council and is up for re-election, and then cast your vote. that includes me! i will be running for relection because the will of the people is at stake.
FYI: watch how fast council ask for a raise, i was told we have 2 months to request for it. i will not intertain that request when it comes up. this council is corrupt!
I stand for the integrity of Bucyrus Ohio.”
Mr. Fankhouser commented:
“Bucyrus City Council has fully been turned into a Kangaroo Court by Councilwoman Sharrock’s motion to “censure” certain council members that don’t agree with her.
This is a direct response to me expressing my 1st Amendment Rights as a private citizen on a recent YouTube channel I created.
They don’t like the truth getting out about what has really been going on in the Bucyrus Community. Similar political attacks have been done to President Trump when he was on a trial for a sham impeachment. This is pure political posturing and if anyone should be “censured” it should be Councilwoman Sharrock for her September 19th unprofessional behavior in the Council Clerks Office.”
In light of their claim that the censure is anything other than a legitimate reprimand, it is important to note that Shireman regularly attacks constituents on The City of Bucyrus’ Facebook page as well as her own personal Facebook page. She also moderates a group on Facebook dedicated to attacking members of Council and constituents.
For Kurt Fankhauser’s part, he has a Youtube channel where he regularly goes on long, tangential “truth”-telling videos where he regularly makes accusations of his fellow Council members. As Fankhauser makes unsubstantiated accusations with no sources he’s willing to reveal, we will not link to those videos, but they can be found on his Facebook page. It is important to note that a regular pattern has developed whereby Fankhauser is questioned by a member of Council or the public and then that person happens to show up in his next Youtube video. Fankhauser is nothing if not a believer in “if you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”
City Council President Fankhauser uses deception and clever deflection tactics anytime he or his business practices are put into question. He uses his position to bully others simply because they disagree with him. Council was well within its rights to censure him and Mrs. Shireman. What that censure means going forward is anyone’s guess, as it is seen by many as largely ceremonial. But that begs the question: if a censure is a pointless distraction, or just a kangaroo court, why bother trying in vain to censure Councilperson Aaron Sharrock in retaliation?
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